Ras effectors and their role in mitogenesis and oncogenesis.

Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, State University of New York at Stony Brook 11794, USA.

Abstract

Ras proteins are membrane-bound GTP-binding proteins that play a critical role in the control of cell growth. Through a large number of genetic and biochemical studies it is becoming increasingly evident that the biological activity of Ras proteins is mediated by multiple signaling pathways. This review provides an account of the target proteins that interact with Ras and the functional consequences of these interactions. The relative contribution of the different Ras effector pathways to the mitogenic and oncogenic effects of Ras are discussed.